Fly Tipping

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Romford of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 99W, on fly-tipping, if he will place in the Library a copy of the CD-ROM being distributed to local authorities.

Jane Kennedy: The CD-ROM has not yet been distributed to local authorities, as some additions are currently being made to the content. A copy will be placed in the Library as soon as it is published, which will be shortly.

Members: Allowances

Dai Davies: To ask the Leader of the House into which budget monies paid back to the Fees Office by hon. Members relating to their expenses and allowances claims are paid.

Chris Bryant: All repayments will be credited to the House of Commons: Members Estimate.

Departmental ICT

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions arising from the operation of ICT systems in his Department under the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has taken an active role in the Greening Government Information and Communications Technology (ICT) strategy by providing a detailed plan for the FCO. The plan includes the baseline of the FCO's current carbon footprint and a number of initiatives that cover the full life-cycle of our ICT, including how we procure, operate and dispose of equipment. We are also looking at how use of ICT will enables savings outside of ICT itself through videoconferencing and collaboration initiatives that reduce the need for travel. This process is integrated into our ICT strategy.

France

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on international security with the French government.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular in-depth discussions with the French Government on international security issues. Most recently, at the General Affairs and External Relations Council of the European Union on 18 May 2009, he had a wide ranging discussion with French and other European counterparts.

Somalia: Piracy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effects of poverty in the region on numbers of acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 11 May 2009
	Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Coast of Somalia is a symptom of the ongoing instability and lack of economic opportunities in the horn of Africa. Although the security situation makes it difficult to access the region to conduct a full assessment, it is likely that poverty in rural communities in Puntland is one of several contributing factors.
	The UK is taking a leading role in the international response to piracy by offering the Operation HQ and Commander for the EU's Counter Piracy operation. We also Chair a working group looking to enhance regional co-operation and co-ordination. This working group is also looking to highlight regional capacity-building requirements that will aim to address the longer term causes of piracy.

Gurkhas

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect on the settlement rights of Gurkhas of the implementation of the points-based immigration system.

Phil Woolas: The settlement rights of Gurkhas are entirely separate from the routes to enter the United Kingdom through the points based system.
	It will therefore have no effect on the implementation of the points based immigration system.

DNA Database

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the compatibility of her proposal on retention of the DNA profiles of persons arrested but not convicted with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.

Vernon Coaker: Our proposals, set out in the public consultation paper "Keeping the Right People on the DNA database" published on 7 May 2009, were drawn up against the background of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the S and Marper. They aim to implement the judgment in a way which continues to protect the public while safeguarding the rights of the individual.

Criminal Records: EU Nationals

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what protocols her Department has established with each EU member state on monitoring the movement of known criminals.

Alan Campbell: There is no agreement between all member states of the European Union to monitor the movements of known criminals within the EU but the UK does contribute to the Europol Information System (EIS), a database where each member state can input details of any known criminal that it wishes to share with other European States. If a person is wanted in any member state that country can also issue a European arrest warrant which will ensure that if the person comes to the notice of the law enforcement authorities in any member state they can be arrested and returned to the country that issued the European arrest warrant. In addition, SOCA has been appointed to operate the UK Sirene Bureau which will have access to the European wide Schengen Information System. This contains details of all wanted persons throughout the European Union. It is planned that the Sirene Bureau will go live in 2010.
	The Interpol Notice system also provides a monitoring facility. Green Notices are used to provide warnings and criminal intelligence about persons who have committed criminal offences, and are likely to repeat those offences in other countries. A Green Notice is often issued by the UK for known travelling sex offenders. The Notice system is not limited to Europe and 187 states have access to it.
	The United Kingdom has a Memorandum of Understanding with Ireland to ensure that information is shared between the two countries regarding sex offenders travelling between the two.

Armed Forces: Aviation

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many charter flights to theatres of operation have taken place in each year since 2003, broken down by  (a) location,  (b) type of aircraft and  (c) reason for flight.

Bob Ainsworth: Charter flights to theatres of operation in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 are:
	
		
			  Op Telic IRAQ 
			   Type of Aircraft used  Flights 
			 2003 AN124,A330, B737, B747, B757, B767, DCIO, DC8, IL76, L10-11, MD11 518 
			 2004 AN124,A330,B747, B757, DC8 89 
			 2005 AN124, A330, B747, DC8 25 
			 2006 A300, AN124, B747, B767, DC10, IL76 212 
			 2007 A300, A310, A330, AN124, B747, B767, DC10, IL76, B737, MD11 786 
			 2008 A300, DC8, AN124, B747, B767, DC10, IL76 737 
			 2009(1) A300, A310, AN124, B757, B767, DC8 186 
			 (1) 1 January to 30 April 
		
	
	
		
			  Op Herrick Afghanistan 
			   Type of Aircraft used  Flights 
			 2003 (1)— (1)— 
			 2004 (1)— (1)— 
			 2005 (1)— (1)— 
			 2006 A300, AN124, B737, B757, DC8, IL76 113 
			 2007 B737,A300,A310,A320, AN124, B757, B767, DC10, IL76 329 
			 2008(2) A300,A319,A321,A330, AN124, B737, B747, B757, B767, DC10,DC8,IL76 516 
			  A300, A321, A330, AN124, B737, B747, B757, B767, DC8, IL76 407 
			 (1) No charter recorded for Op Herrick (2) 1 January to 30 April 
		
	
	All flights are for the carriage of either passengers or freight or a combination of both.

Kenya: Piracy

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what seized property has been transferred to the Kenyan authorities by the EU-led naval force under the Provisions of Transfer of Suspected Pirates and Seized Property published the Official Journal of the European Union of 25 March 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Operation Atalanta is an EU led operation and the operational detail requested is held by the EU Operation Commander for Atalanta, who reports to EU member states sitting in the Political and Security Committee in Brussels.
	The EU-led naval force (EUNAVFOR), Operation Atalanta, where practicable, has handed over seized property such as skiffs (small boats) and other pirate related paraphernalia such as ladders, buoys and weapons. In some cases the skiffs and weaponry have been destroyed by the detaining ship for navigational and safety of life reasons. All of the incidents in which suspected pirates have been detained by EUNAVFOR are currently being prosecuted by the Kenyan authorities and therefore a more specific answer is not possible without jeopardising the court proceedings.

Pakistan: Military Aid

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much aid was given to Pakistan for military purposes between 1997 and 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: The MOD provides military advice and assistance to Pakistan as part of normal security cooperation, as it does with many countries worldwide.

Banks: Regulation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to amend the regulatory regime applying to the banking sector following the economic downturn.

Angela Eagle: As stated in Budget 2009: Building Britain's future, the Government will issue a paper on renewing financial markets for the long-term before the summer recess. This will include proposals to strengthen financial services regulation, and build on the work of the Turner Review as well as action taken at an international level.

Royal Bank of Scotland: Finance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money the Government has provided to the Royal Bank of Scotland in the last 12 months.

Ian Pearson: Following the conversion of the Treasury's £5 billion preference shares to ordinary shares, announced on 19 January 2009 and completed on 14 April 2009, the Government have now invested £20.3 billion in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) (including additional amounts to cover the accrued dividend on the repurchased preference shares, and the underwriting fee on the new ordinary shares).
	With RBS' participation in the asset protection scheme, the Government will make a further investment of £19.5 billion, and will make available a further £6 billion at RBS' option.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of camps established by the Sri Lankan Government for Tamil people displaced by the conflict in northern Sri Lanka; and what recent estimate he has made of the number of people  (a) in such camps and  (b) whose deaths are attributable to conditions in such camps.

Michael Foster: As at 12 May 194,303 people have been registered in more than 40 camps for displaced persons. More than 173,000 of these are in Vavuniya, most of them in three very large camps at Menik Farm. The conditions are far from ideal but starting slowly to improve. There is no reliable data available for deaths in the camps or to what extent those could be attributable to the conditions there. By far the greatest concern is the terrible loss of life in the conflict zone and in hospitals overwhelmed with sick and wounded patients.

Cold Weather Payments: Fife

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in North East Fife constituency qualified for cold weather payments in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: No cold weather payments were triggered for eligible people living in the post code area covering the North East Fife constituency in the years 2004-05 to 2006-07. Cold weather payments were triggered once for this post code area in 2007-2008 and either once or twice in 2008-09, dependent on the relevant weather station. However, it is not possible to give a figure for the number of people who qualified for a cold weather payment, as this information is not available at constituency level, only by weather station.

Crisis Loans: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid out in crisis loans by each Essex Jobcentre in each year since 2005.

Kitty Ussher: The information is not available in the format requested. Information on crisis loan expenditure is not available by Jobcentre Plus office.

Jobcentre Plus

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what courses are delivered by Jobcentre Plus programme centres.

Tony McNulty: Programme Centre provision is delivered via a range of job search modules and soft skill development modules to reflect the needs of employers and the local labour market. Provision is tailored to meet the individual needs of the customer. The following table lists the modules available. However, it is not exhaustive as providers may develop new modules subject to the approval of Jobcentre Plus.
	 Jobsearch Modules
	Induction
	Contract Setting
	Employment/Unemployment
	Overcoming hurdles to finding work
	Action Planning
	Labour Market Intelligence
	Personal Stocktaking - Skills/Strengths/Experience
	Individual Advice and Guidance
	Setting Job Goals
	CV's
	Job Leads (Where to find the hidden vacancies)
	Analysing Vacancies
	Telephone Techniques
	Letters of Application
	Preparation for Interviews
	Mock Interviews
	Training Opportunities/Individual Learning Accounts/Life Long Learning
	Managing Time
	Back to Work Benefits
	Starting Your Job
	Keeping Your Job
	Coping With Setbacks
	Assertive Jobseeking
	Self-Employment
	 Soft Skill Development Modules
	Attitude - Lifeskills/Learning Culture
	Financial awareness, money handling, paying bills
	Work Ethic
	Grooming/Personal appearance, interpersonal skills
	Motivation - Job appropriate/worthwhile
	Redressing low aspirations
	Recruitment systems/processes
	IT awareness (not occupational skills) essentials - keyboard, navigation, email, internet Employer Visits
	Occupational expectations (realism)
	Telephone skills
	Customer care
	Life skills - turning up, time keeping, getting to work/travel support mechanisms, lunch, concentration, stamina, routine
	Working with colleagues

Welfare Tax Credits: Lone Parents

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost would be of paying a work-related activity premium of  (a) £10,  (b) £20 and  (c) £30 per week to lone parents with children aged under 7 years in 2009-10.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 22 April 2009
	 There are approximately 460,000 lone parents on income support with a youngest child under the age of seven.
	Assuming that this remains constant, the annual cost of paying all lone parents with a child aged under seven a work-related activity premium is in the table.
	
		
			  Cost of paying a work-related activity premium to all lone parents on income support with a youngest child under the age of seven 
			  Work-related activity premium  Annual cost (£ million) 
			 £10 per week 240 
			 £20 per week 480 
			 £30 per week 720 
			  Notes: 1. Costs are rounded to the nearest £5 million. 2. Costs depend upon case loads. The average number of lone parents on income support over the last year was 460,000, but higher numbers would mean higher costs, and vice versa. 
		
	
	As this is not Government policy these costs assume all lone parents with a youngest child under the age of seven receive a work-related activity premium.
	They reflect only the additional cost of paying the premium, and not any additional costs associated with ensuring additional provision is made available through, for example, the new deal for lone parents programme.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department and its predecessor in each year since 2005.

Ian Pearson: In 2008, one Blackberry was lost by a Minister and one by a Special Adviser. The numbers lost by Civil Servants are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Mobile Phones  Blackberry's 
			 2005 11 3 
			 2006 14 3 
			 2007 2 12 
			 2008 2 13 
			 2009(1) 0 5 
			 (1) 30 April

Gambling Commission

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which review model was used by the Hampton Review Team in its assessment of the Gambling Commission; and on how many occasions the Review Team met the Gambling Commission for the purposes of the assessment.

Ian Pearson: Under the Hampton Implementation Review framework, regulators are reviewed under one of two models, depending on their size, scope and impact, to ensure that reviews are proportionate to the organisation in question.
	The Gambling Commission was assessed under the 'Model 1' framework whereby a review team of experienced individuals from the Better Regulation Executive, National Audit Office, the Security Industry Authority and the EEF assessed the work of the Commission over a one-week period. The review team conducted a combination of interviews with senior staff, with representatives of the gambling sector, and with individual regulated businesses, as well as shadowing the work of Commission inspectors.
	The review framework and both the Model 1 and Model 2 methodologies are set out on the BERR website at
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/bre/inspection-enforcement/implementing-principles/reviewing-regulators/page44054.html.
	The review team met with a wide range of Commission staff, including both Commission members and Executive staff ranging from the Chief Executive to their compliance and advisory staff over the course of 6 October to 10 October.

Housing: Sales

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what guidance his Department has issued on the effect of  (a) the Cancellation of Contracts Made in a Consumer's Home or Place of Work Etc Regulations 2008 and  (b) Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 on the (i) sale and (ii) marketing of (A) homes and (B) home information packs.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has produced general guidance, available on the BERR website at:
	www.berr.gov.uk
	about the Cancellation of Contracts Made in a Consumer's Home or Place of Work etc. Regulations 2008. The Office of Fair Trading has published joint OFT/BERR branded general guidance, available on the OFT website at:
	www.oft.gov.uk
	about the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. The guidance details the steps that any business, that is subject to the regulations, must take to comply with the regulations.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will hold an inquiry into the actions of Visteon UK and Ford UK to establish responsibility for pension and redundancy payments for employees made redundant by each company; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: As indicated during the debate in the House on 30 April, BERR is in contact with Visteon UK. I understand that the unions and the Visteon Corporation have agreed a much improved redundancy package and that staff at the three Visteon UK plants voted overwhelmingly to accept it. I hope that the necessary payments can be made as soon as is possible. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what new powers the provisions of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 will provide for local authorities.

Gareth Thomas: Part 3 of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 allows a Minister, by order, to give local authorities and other regulators access to four new civil sanctions:
	 Fixed monetary penalties
	 Discretionary requirements
	which will enable a regulator to impose, by notice, one or more of the following:
	a variable monetary penalty determined by the regulator;
	a requirement to take specified steps within a stated period to secure that an offence does not continue or happen again; and
	a requirement to take specified steps within a stated period to secure that the position is restored, so far as possible, to what it would have been if no offence had been committed.
	 Stop notices
	which will prevent a business from carrying on an activity described in the notice until it has taken steps to come back into compliance.
	 Enforcement undertakings
	which will enable a business, which a regulator reasonably suspects of having committed an offence, to give an undertaking to a regulator to take one or more corrective actions set out in the undertaking.
	To date, no orders have been made under part 3 and so local authorities cannot yet access the new powers.
	Part 2 of the Act, which commenced on 6 April 2009, established the Primary Authority scheme. The scheme allows businesses, charities or other organisations that operate across more than one site, to enter into a partnership with a local authority for it to become a Primary Authority. As well as promoting consistency, the scheme is intended to help local authorities decide what action will be necessary and proportionate in a given circumstance to bring about a successful outcome with the minimum burden to an organisation.
	Where the Local Better Regulation Office has registered a Primary Authority, any other local authority that proposes to take enforcement action against an organisation must contact the Primary Authority first. The Primary Authority can then block the proposed enforcement action if it believes that it is inconsistent with advice or guidance that it has previously given. In situations where action is urgently required to prevent harm, the Act allows local authorities to proceed immediately and inform the Primary Authority as soon as possible after taking the action. Under the scheme, a local authority may reclaim costs incurred while acting as a Primary Authority on a cost recovery basis.

Departmental Reviews

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) review and  (b) taskforce projects his Department and its predecessor have commissioned in each of the last five years; what the purpose of each such project is; when each such project (i) began and (ii) was completed; what the cost of each such project was; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice does not hold this information centrally. To collate this level of information would require a detailed trawl across the Department which would entail disproportionate cost.
	However, information on major reports and reviews undertaken by the Department on a wide range of issues can be accessed at the following link from the MOJ website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/policy-reports.htm
	It also contains Green Papers, White Papers and Government responses to parliamentary committee reports on major policy reviews.
	Publications and follow-up reports on the Department's regular research programme, as well as any special projects that MOJ initiates can also be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/research.htm
	Information on MOJ consultations, both open and closed, can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations.htm

Terrorism: Compensation

Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009,  Official Report, column 533W, on terrorism: compensation, which  (a) Departmental officials and  (b) Ministers have been appointed to the working group on support for victims of terrorism abroad; what options are being considered by that working group; what timetable has been set for that working group to report; and when he next expects that working group to meet.

Jack Straw: The working group brings together officials from across Government and includes representatives from the following Departments:
	Humanitarian Assistance Unit
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	Office for Criminal Justice Reform
	Ministry of Justice
	Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
	Ministry of Defence
	Northern Ireland Office
	Scotland Office
	HM Treasury.
	There will be a separate ministerial group which will include the Minister with responsibility for Humanitarian Assistance, a Foreign Office Minister, the Home Secretary, the Attorney-General and the Justice Secretary.
	The working group of officials will look at all available options and put together detailed proposals for consideration by the ministerial group.
	The working group will meet regularly and is expected to report to Ministers in the summer.

Care Homes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes in  (a) England and  (b) Leicester are operated by (i) local authorities and (ii) private enterprises; and what estimate he has made of the number of persons over 60 years old resident in each category of home.

Phil Hope: We are informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that the numbers of services operating in Leicester city council area and in England are as shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Ownership type  Leicester city council  England 
			 Charity 3 843 
			 Local authority 11 1,055 
			 National health service — 193 
			 Other — 102 
			 Private 90 14,052 
			 Voluntary 9 2,168 
			 Total 113 18,413 
			  Note:  Services include care and nursing homes inspected against the national minimum standards for care homes for older people (aged 65 or over) and care homes for younger adults (aged 18-64).   Source:  CQC registration and inspection database. Data as at 8 April 2009. 
		
	
	Information on the total numbers of residents, those aged over 60 and those whose care is privately funded in care homes is not collected centrally.
	Information about the number of people aged 65 and over in residential care, funded fully or in part by councils with adult social services responsibilities, is collected by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care. This information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Council supported residents aged 65 and over at 31 March 2008 
			  Area  Residential care homes  Independent nursing homes 
			   Council  Independent  
			 England 18,000 106,600 57,700 
			 Leicester city council 300 700 200 
			  Note:  Figures exclude unstaffed homes and adult placements.  Source:  NHS Information Centre.

Hertfordshire Community Health Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the performance of the Hertfordshire Community Health Service.

Phil Hope: The Care Quality Commission will continue to assess the provider services of primary care trusts (PCTs) as part of their assessment of PCTs. The Healthcare Commission's annual health check ratings for West Hertfordshire PCT and East and North Hertfordshire PCT is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   West Hertfordshire PCT  East and North Hertfordshire PCT 
			  2006-07   
			 Quality of service Weak Weak 
			 Use of resources Weak Weak 
			
			  2007-08   
			 Quality of service Fair Fair 
			 Use of resources Fair Fair

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of prisoners with a diagnosed mental health disorder; what percentage of prisoners who  (a) had a diagnosed mental health disorder prior to conviction and  (b) have been diagnosed with schizophrenia; and what proportion of prisoners diagnosed with (i) schizophrenia and (ii) another mental health disorder had been convicted of an offence involving violence.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected by the Department.
	On 30 April 2009, Lord Bradley published his review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system. The "Bradley Report" found that too many people pass through the criminal justice system without their mental health needs or learning disabilities being recognised. This means that their specific needs are not met and too often this leads to a cycle of re-offending.
	The prevalence among suspects and offenders, of mental disorders, learning disabilities, and drug and alcohol problems is very high. Around 20 per cent. will either currently be in contact with, or have a history of psychiatric treatment.
	The Government published their response to the recommendations alongside Lord Bradley's report. The report has been welcomed by Ministers across Government who recognise the need for reform in this area and the necessity for more joined up services to strengthen capacity and take forward this work.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to amend the law to increase levels of protection for whistleblowers in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: We have already introduced legislation to protect whistleblowers. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) gives the full protection of the law to national health service staff who blow the whistle. The Department has made it clear that every NHS trust must have in place local policies and procedures that comply with the Act. The Government expect a climate of openness and dialogue in the NHS that encourages staff to feel able to raise concerns about health care matters sensibly and responsibly without fear of victimisation. The NHS Constitution published on 21 January 2009, also sets out how staff should have "protection from detriment in employment and the right not to be unfairly dismissed for 'whistleblowing' or reporting wrongdoing in the workplace."
	We have taken out a contract with the charity "Public Concern at Work" to provide a helpline that is manned by lawyers with expertise on whistleblowing law who can provide confidential advice and support to NHS staff.

Apprentices

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average duration of an apprenticeship under the apprenticeship programme for 16 to 18-year-olds.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Apprenticeship frameworks typically take between one to three years to complete depending on the level and type of framework, the prior attainment and needs of the apprentice. These factors and an individual's speed of learning mean that length of time as an apprentice can vary enormously. Our primary measure of quality is the completion rate which last year was 64 per cent.; up from 37 per cent. in 2004/05.
	The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997, we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007/08.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessor paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I can confirm that the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessor did not make any interest payments to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debt (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three financial years from 2006-07 to 2008-09.

International Baccalaureate

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils at  (a) maintained schools,  (b) sixth form colleges,  (c) independent schools and  (d) comprehensive schools were entered for the International Baccalaureate examination in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information is provided in the following table. Data was not collected prior to 2005/06 and so the information is available only for the past three years.
	
		
			   2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Maintained schools 607 755 726 
			 Comprehensive 365 510 452 
			 Independent 922 1,152 1,313 
			 Sixth form college 55 112 176 
			 Other FE college 206 242 270 
			 Total 1,790 2,261 2,485 
			  Notes: 1. Figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August).  2. 'Maintained schools' include comprehensive, selective, modern, PRUs and hospital schools.  Source:  School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables data.

Pupils: Obesity

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity; what proportion of school-age children he estimates are  (a) overweight and  (b) obese; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In the year since the £372 million "Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: a Cross Government Strategy for England" was published there has been substantial progress. The "Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: One Year On" annual report was published last month, which sets out in detail our progress to date and also the areas we need to focus on over the next year. A copy of the report is available on the DCSF and DH websites.
	The two main sources of data on childhood obesity are the Health Survey for England (HSE) and National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). In 2008, the HSE data showed that the estimated prevalence of overweight among 2 to 15-year-olds was 14.0 per cent. and the prevalence of obesity was 16.5 per cent. The 2007/8 NCMP results showed that in reception year 13.0 per cent. of children were overweight and 9.6 per cent. were obese and that in Year 6 14.3 per cent. of children were overweight and 18.3 per cent. were obese.

Business: Government Assistance

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what budget the Cabinet Office has set for the real help now website for 2009-10.

Liam Byrne: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 355W.

Non-profit Making Associations: Olympic Games 2012

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps the Government is taking to encourage social enterprises to take up commercial opportunities arising out of the London 2012 Olympics.

Kevin Brennan: The Office of the Third Sector (OTS) works closely with Social Enterprise London (SEL), as a strategic partner, whose remit is to promote the work of social enterprises to the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG), the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), and their 2012 supply chain. Under the project 'Winning with social enterprise', SEL promotes commercial opportunities to social enterprises across the country, encouraging them to bid for the contracts and signposting to relevant sources of business support when necessary.
	Funding from the project enables SEL to engage with London 2012 to promote social enterprise as a potential contractor. SEL also delivers regional workshops about 2012 commercial opportunities to social enterprises across England. The workshops provide detailed information about how social enterprises can register on the CompeteFor system, and where they can obtain further support and guidance.